Paul Brill
Harpooner
Scarlet Shame Records
By David Chiu
Paul Brill’s folktronica continues to shine on his latest Harpooner with ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ instrumentation, warm melodies and the singer’s airy vocals. Like he did on the brilliant New Pagan Love Songs, Brill on Harpooner draws on combining technology and sonic collages and conventional folk and pop music: the results yielded range from the almost experimental and avant garde (the title track, “All You Want”) to engaging tunes (“Paris Is On,” the gorgeous piano balladry of “And So to Sleep”). As a singer and lyricist Brill conveys that world-weary perspective on things that sounds intimate, haunting and hopeful. Harpooner takes the listener on a voyage on uncharted waters—this musical work is about the journey, not the destination.
NewBeats 